Health and social work services

Tender description

Following the Health and Social Care Act (2012), health and social care reforms have been centred on the principle that service users and the public must be at the heart of all health and social care service delivery. To support this, local authorities are required to commission a Healthwatch organisation to support, focus and champion the voice of the user across health and social care in the area. They are also required to commission an independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service to assist service users in making a complaint about a health service body or independent provider. In this contract, both Healthwatch and the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service will be delivered by a single lead provider (though partnerships and consortium approaches are welcome). In addition to delivering against the statutory requirements listed below, this service will focus on building highly effective and constructive relationships with commissioners, providers, service users, and wider partners to ensure satisfactory outcomes for all concerned.